They Cloned Tyrone review: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx own this wild ride

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A pimp, a drug dealer, and a prostitute walk into a trap house and discover a clandestine government cloning facility. That’s the elevator pitch for The Clone of Tyrone, Netflix’s new sci-fi comedy-thriller starring John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris.

Juel Taylor, known as an author on television and film, directs the movie. Creed IIThe following are some examples of how to get started: Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Clone of Tyrone is Blaxploitation-y genre mashup that lands squarely between the surreal doppelganger-laden menace of Jordan Peele’s You can also use and the incisive political satire of Boots Riley’s I’m Sorry You Bothered Me. This is the result: one of this year’s funniest and most exciting movies.

The film centers on Fontaine (Boyega), a steely-eyed drug pusher living in the Glen, a predominantly Black neighborhood that’s seen better days. Fontaine is haunted with the death of his brother, and seems to be estranged his mother. He goes on to try to earn a living, by swindling clients, and facing off against rival drug dealers trying to invade his turf. Then, he’s ambushed and murdered. Fontaine wakes up the following morning, in a cold- sweat and seemingly unharmed.

(L to R) John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo and Jamie Foxx (Producer) as Slick Charles staring down at a dead body on a examination table in They Cloned Tyrone.

Fontaine embarks on a quest for answers with help from the smooth-talking hustler Slick Charlie (Foxx), as well as Yo-Yo, a young sexworker who has dreams of getting out of Glen and finding a more fulfilling life. He discovers that his entire neighbourhood has been turned into a testing ground for brutal experiments.

Taylor has described Clone TyroneThe film has the feel of a bootleg Scooby-Doo movie, in which a motley crew of amateur detectives solves a frightening mystery with their peculiar teamwork. Well, he nailed it; an existential mystery-thriller that vacillates between the farcical and the macabre, Taylor’s film isn’t just a rumination on the legacy of gentrification and the exploitation of minorities, but a poignant and darkly funny meditation on the power of one’s own choices and the necessity of cooperation in the face of oppression. It’s a real surprise for a Netflix Original, and that’s due in no small part to the infectious chemistry of the film’s leading trio.

(L to R) Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, Jamie Foxx (Producer) as Slick Charles and John Boyega as Fontaine sitting across from one another at a fast food restaurant in They Cloned Tyrone.

Jamie Foxx steals the show in almost every scene he’s in with a flamboyant personality and uncanny knack for getting himself into and out of trouble. Teyonah parris, the protagonist of “The Heart and Soul” is the soul. It Cloned TyroneA woman of strong will and eclectic interests, she is the ideal person to bring all the puzzle pieces together to rally her fellow citizens to action. And, of course, there’s John Boyega, who delivers a terse yet multifaceted performance through the tumultuous emotional arc of Fontaine’s personal search for the truth.

There’s a few other noteworthy guest performances as well, but Clone TyroneIt is strongest when it uses the dynamic between Boyega, Foxx and Parris. It’s hilarious to see the balance between these characters clashing, complementing, and balancing each other. Charles and Yo Yo are constantly bickering, while Fontaine fumes in frustration over everything. Taylor and co-writer Tony Rettenmaier’s writing is terrific on its own, but when animated by the cast’s performances, it positively sings.

John Boyega as Fontaine sitting on a couch in front of a pizza box filled with rolls of dollar bills in They Cloned Tyrone.

The conversation between Fontaine, Slick, and the man behind the experiment, after they were sworn under gunpoint to secrecy, is one of the best exchanges. They discuss whether their choices or experiences are real. “I ain’t never had no little brother,” Fontaine tells Charles. “I still love them though.” It’s that declaration that spurs the pair to choose their own path and join Yo-Yo in exposing the government’s deception for the good of everyone living in the Glen.

The Cloned Tyrone is a lot of things: funny, thrilling, subversively satirical, disarmingly poignant, and above all a blast to watch, especially in the film’s final act. As a whole, the movie represents exactly the type of witty and original storytelling that streaming services, especially Netflix, could do with more of and a surprise contender for one of the year’s best. Juel Taylor, just like Peele Riley and other directors, shows a passion for social issues and an understanding of them. His ability to incorporate these themes into genre movies that are as entertaining as they are edifying is also impressive. It’s a film with heart, humor, and soul that, while reminiscent of the works of other filmmakers, is far from a clone of its predecessors, but rather something entirely its own.

The Cloned TyroneNetflix has now made the movie available for streaming.

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